Hideaki Kobayakawa

Hideaki Kobayakawa (1557-1 December 1602), born Hideaki Kinoshita and later known as Hidetoshi Hashiba and Chunagon Kingo, was the daimyo of the Kobayakawa clan from 1597 until his death in late 1602. Abandoned by his adoptive father Hideyoshi Hashiba, he abandoned the Western Army at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and joined the Tokugawa Eastern Army, winning the battle for Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Biography
Hideaki Kinoshita was the fifth son of Iesada Kinoshita, but was adopted by Hideyoshi Hashiba at a young age and took the name "Hidetoshi" and the surname "Hashiba". However, he was abandoned by Hideyoshi and found refuge with Takakage Kobayakawa, a northern Kyushu daimyo who ruled the Kobayakawa clan. During the Japanese invasions of Korea, he fought in the Battle of Keicho against the Ming Empire and fought on the front lines with a spear. But due to his attacks on women and children and his reckless charges, Hideyoshi deprived him of Chikugo Province, and he had ill feelings towards the Toyotomi.

When he returned home after the death of Hideyoshi in 1598, he joined the Western Army loyalists of the Toyotomi clan (led by Mitsunari Ishida), but after secret communications with Eastern Army leader Ieyasu Tokugawa, Hideaki decided that he would defect during the battle to assist the Tokugawa army. After Yasuharu Wakisaka was defeated, Hideaki was freed up to defect to the Tokugawa, helping them to win the battle.

Hideaki Kobayakawa was a vassal of Ieyasu after the Sekigahara Campaign, but died of illness in 1602 without a male heir. The Kobayakawa clan ended after his death.